Known in the prior art is a method for marking glass products by irradiating them with a focused laser beam having an intensity exceeding the glass destruction threshold (cf. RU #1,620,428, IPC C03C 27/12, 1989).
Another method for fancy patterning glass- and crystalware is known, wherein a pattern is made with a laser beam in an air medium at a temperature of from 223.degree. to 253.degree. K, and focusing a laser spot in the bulk of the object under process, spaced apart from the object outer surfaces a distance equal to at least 100 laser spot diameters (cf. RU #1,818,307, IPC C03C 33/00, 1990).
The closest to the proposed method as to its technical essence and attainable results is a method for laser-assisted formation of images in solid media by focusing laser radiation at a preset point of the object and displacing the latter with respect to laser beam in a predetermined manner. The object is irradiated with an energy density exceeding the threshold value of the volumetric disruptive strength of the material, and the objects is displaced in three mutually square directions (cf. RU #2,008,288, IPC C03C 23/00, 1991).
However, images produced by the aforementioned methods are of low contrast. Thus, in order to attain an adequate artistic expressiveness of an image it is necessary to substantially increase the power of laser radiation and the number of radiated pulses required for processing one object. These factors sophisticate much the equipment used for image formation and affects its service life.